Final answer:
It is illegal to bill Medicare for services that are considered unnecessary, fraudulent, or not provided at all.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of Medicare, it is illegal to bill Medicare for services that are considered unnecessary, fraudulent, or not provided at all. This is considered a form of fraud and can result in severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
For example, doctors who set up clinics in poor neighborhoods and perform unnecessary and expensive tests on Medicaid clients as a way of defrauding the government would be engaging in illegal billing practices.